Ed Carpenter was fastest in the sixth practice session for the Indianapolis 500, which had only 23 of the 33 cars on track
In the final free practice session before qualifying for the 2022 Indy 500, Carpenter's Ed Carpenter finished in first place. Three times pole-position but without an Indy 500 victory, the American posted a time of 38s394, and finished 0s052 ahead of Ganassi's Scott Dixon, who led the first practice of the week.
Jimmie Johnson and Álex Palou rounded out the top four for Ganassi, and Juncos Hollinger's Callum Ilott rounded out the top five. Andretti's Alexander Rossi and Marco Andretti, Carpenter's Rinus VeeKay, Ganassi's Marcus Ericsson, and Romain Grosjean, also of Andretti, completed the top ten.
Because of the strong winds on Fast Friday, the one-hour session on Saturday morning (21) was busier than usual. Still, only 23 of the 33 cars took to the track. Fastest on Friday, Japan's Takuma Sato was one of those who didn't go on track, as was Brazilian Tony Kanaan. Helio Castroneves, the reigning Indy 500 winner, was only 19th with a time of 38s932.
Will Power, the current championship leader, Josef Newgarden and Scott McLauhglin, all from Penske, opted not to participate in the activities. McLaren's Pato O'Ward, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Felix Rosenqvist also stayed in the pits. Dale Coyne's David Malukas and DRR's Sage Krama completed the list of no-timers.
The qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to take place this Saturday (21st) starting at 12:00 pm (ET). 12 drivers will advance to the pole-position race on Sunday.
Indy 2022, Indianapolis 500, Free Practice 6: